Let Me Suffer, Please
by doxthextimexwarp
Summary: Tina has a secret. Who will be there for her? Tina/Artie because they're two opposites, but yet entirely the same.
1. Chapter 1

**Let Me Suffer, Please**

I am deeply in love with the Tina/Artie ship on Glee. I felt the need to add another story to their ships on FanFiction since I feel like there isn't enough. I hope to at least inspire one of you to contribute a story to them. Please Review. It definitely motivates me! Thanks!

**Chapter One**

Tina let a breathe escape from her lips. She hadn't realized how her mouth had been clenched so tightly and that blood was soaking onto her tongue from biting on her lip so hard. A blue strand of hair fell forward onto the front of her face as her back relaxed and her vertebrae began to stretch once more as she leaned forward with her head touching her knees. She let go of the object that was in her right hand and wrapped her arms around her knees. She breathed in. She breathed out.

She closed her eyes and willed her mind to go blank. But she couldn't, she could still remember the events of what had taken place earlier in the day. A C on the latest French Test she received today, her Asian father and tight-lipped step-mother wouldn't be pleased. A few of the Cheerio's had mocked her stutter once more. Her parents wouldn't care about that. "Just suck it up," they said. And so she sucked in her words and bit her lip once more.

And then there was Arty. She had only left his side for a few moments to grab some books at her locker. And when she returned, he was duck taped to the flagpole. It would've been something they could've dealt with silently before. It wasn't the first time, after all, but this time it was different. The jocks were still standing around him, laughing, and he had this helpless look on his face.

At first she had felt pity, but then frustration and anger. She couldn't take it any longer so in her red, plaid combat boots she marched up to Puck and his fellow jocks.

"S-s-s-stop it! This isn't c-c-c-cool. L-l-l-let him go!"

Puck turned toward her and put his hands against his cheeks in his coined "home-alone" look and began to mock Tina, "O-o-o-or w-w-w-what f-f-f-freak? Gonna call Mr. Shu? Psh, no."

That's when he shoved her. Men don't shove girls, only fathers. Her books went flying across the concrete and she fell on her back hard. She could remember a time exactly like this when she had fallen on the spotless black and white tile in the kitchen, narrowly missing the stove after finding out that she hadn't made National Merit Scholar. Tina closed her eyes and willed Puck and his fuckers to go away. She lay perfectly still and felt the heat of the sun silently fall on her face warming up her cheeks.

"Tina, you okay?"

Tina knew that voice. If there was any voice that she could claim to know perfectly, it was that one. Arty. Tina became conscious again and quickly got up and brushed off the dead skin that had been created from her fall and was now on her knees. She picked up her books briskly and then walked over to help Arty.

"I'm f-f-f-fine. Y-y-you?" Tina began to rip at the duct tape that was surrounding Arty's right wheel.

"Yeah, thanks." He looked at her thankfully, though Tina missed it since she was focused on getting the duct tape off of his wheel. Tina felt so pathetic at times like these. What could she do against guys who were twice her size and could bench press her easily? She was nothing compared to them. Tina just bit her lip harder and winced slightly at the pain. As much as it began to hurt after a while, it felt glorious. If she couldn't beat up the guys that violated Arty so often, then she could hurt herself.

Maybe if she hurt for Arty, then Arty would hurt less. That was logical, right?

She freed Arty from the binds of the duct tape and went to go take her usual place, wheeling him around. It was comfortable, normal, she felt safe there. Not for the fact that she was basically controlling the direction that Arty would go forward, but just because she was with Arty. Like the handles were an extension of himself and that he was the one holding her hand. Both of them, not just one like a regular couple. But was firmly with her.

She pushed him to the corner of 84th and Broadmore. This was where they parted everyday. He to the left and her to the right.

She opened her eyes and found herself staring at her knees in her room in the dark. At first she couldn't believe it, that scene had been so vivid and real (well, it was, it happened today after all). She lid her knees down and then laid back. She was fully spread down on her blue bedspread. She looked around the room and spotted her cream colored walls that held the various rock posters of bands she listened to for no end. The latest one she had started to listen to zealously was Paramore. She knew it was pretty mainstream, but it wasn't until this latest album had she really started to listen. How the lyrics related to her so much in life and, frankly, she and Hayley both had a think for dying their hair.

She twisted around and grabbed the object and put it on her nightstand. No need to keep it secretive. Her parents never went into her room. But for safety she stuck it between the pages of her Glee Binder. Pages full of tomorrow's songs and yesterday's performances. She fell back down and closed her eyes.

Time to believe in dreams.

* * *

Tina awoke to the sound of knock on her door. She glanced at the clock, winced with dread, and quickly got up.

"Young lady, your five minutes off schedule. Time to get ready now!"

She flew in a haze to the shower to her room. She dressed in a pair of regular blue jeans and pulled over a black tank and then her black sweatshirt. She felt a sharp stab at her stomach as she reached for her shoes on her desk but she paid it no mind. Less pain for Arty.

She raced out the door, narrowly forgetting her Glee Binder. Her backpack would slide down her shoulders as she raced to the corner to meet up with Arty. She saw him check his watch punctually, this was Arty, they kid who ironed his shirts and still stuck them in his pants. She wasn't one to talk when she didn't have to. She just ran faster.

"Took you long enough," Arty smiled at her mischievously. He knew that she had once again managed to over sleep. He waited a minute for her to catch her breathe and then began wheeling himself down the street with Tina walking right beside him. They walked in silence and they parted when Tina had to head into French while he turned to Graphic Design. This was usual.

Tina spent the day with her head in the clouds. Lately she couldn't help but come up with situations where it seemed as if Disney had taken over. Dream sequences of Arty walking, she not stuttering, and they were dancing. Typical Disney crap-ola.

Days at school had always been a blur. A time for Tina to escape to a dream world where she didn't have to really concentrate. Didn't have to face her parents. She met other demons, sure, like Puck and his gang. But that didn't really matter, because she just enjoyed spending time with Arty. And then there was always Glee Club.

She only signed up because Arty wanted to do it. And Tina needed a reason to stay at school than to go home everyday. Plus she wasn't one to turn down a reason to spend time with Arty. She rushed to her locker after school so she could meet him at his last class so she would be the one to walk beside him to Glee Club.

However, today, that wasn't what really happened…

Mrs. Markin kept Tina behind at the end of her last class, Calculus I, in order to discuss her college applications. Tina had heard this whole spiel before, "You're a good student, Tina, and I was concerned about your future at college. Many of the other students have already had their first pick since Freshmen Year. Do you need help at all choosing? I went to (Insert Preppy College Name Here) and I would love to put in a word for you…"

"No, t-t-thank you." Tina smiled courteously and then walked away from her Professor. She just wanted to get out and not listen to this crap anymore. Frankly, Tina wasn't sure where she wanted to go. She knew what she didn't like, but she had yet to discover what she loved. And if she wasn't sure of that, then what was the point? Waste time? Hell no.

Tina threaded her fingers through her hair and began to twist a blue streak with her pointer finger. She bit her lip and walked to her locker. She opened it smoothly and then reached for her other books and such. She was about to stick her Glee Binder into her black backpack until she trembled and lost her steady breathing.

"Tina! You ready for Glee?" Arty spoke to Tina with a bright smile.

Tina dropped her Binder on the ground and turned around to Arty to smile. She was looking straight at him, but noticed that his eyes weren't meeting hers. She traced his pattern of sight and looked to the floor. He was looking at something silver, shiny, and sharp. Tina picked it up quickly with her right hand. Shaking slightly because of fear but offered no words to Arty.

"Tina…?"Arty questioned.

Tina zipped up her backpack urgently. Nodded her head towards him to signal a quick good-bye and then walked speedily towards the front doors. She walked briskly out of the front doors and once she was a block away from the school she began to run home. It was awfully bright out, and any other day she would've smiled and felt peaceful. But now she just wanted to burn in pain.

Tina went straight home. Her step-mother questioned her being home so early, with Glee and all, but Tina quickly replied, "C-c-college apps" and was then out of the line of questions.

She went up to her room and closed the door silently. She slid down it and began to cry. She cried for herself and she cried for Arty.


	2. Chapter 2

**Let Me Suffer, Please**

Hey, so I hope your all enjoying this break from Glee...Haha, yeah right. I can't wait for it to start! I'm so in love with Tina and Artie I can't wait to watch!!! Hope you all look forward to the upcoming episode and I hope I can at least inspire one of you to write a Tina and Artie fanfic!

Thank you for taking the time to read. I really do appreciate it.

**Chapter Two**

Tina awoke to someone knocking on her door. She pulled out of the fetal position and stretched. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep. She turned to the source of her awakening and found her mother standing there. Piercing eyes and a red-face looked straight at her, and Tina still wished she was in dreamland.

"Your father wants to see you."

Tina knew what that meant. She followed her mother and shut the door. She went downstairs into the kitchen and sat in the white wooden chair that accompanied a plastic white table. Her mother's idea: chic. But all Tina saw was that it was easily scratched and was just waiting to break from its corners.

"You've disappointed me young lady," he began. His voice hard and cold with a distinctive edge of disgrace. "What do you have to say for yourself?" He held up a print-out of her updated grades from the online grading system. Tina looked down at her hands and visually traced her lifeline. Oh, how she wished it would fade.

And so it commenced. The usual routine that occurred when Tina fucked up. She would go blank, hoping to never have to actually mentally revisit it over and over in her mind. The scabs and bruises she received were enough to journalize what happened along the blank page of her body. She didn't need to read the picture it created.

This time, however, she was awakened by a ringing. She looked up and saw her father's face and immediately closed her eyes in fear. She pulled her body in tighter around her when she heard her mother's voice, "No, I'm sorry. She's busy right now. Can I take a message?"

Arty. There was no mistaking it. He's the only one who knew her number. And now, once again, Arty couldn't save her. She would dream sometimes about the stereotypical Prince-Charming dreams with Arty at the center of them. How he stole her away from the bars of her castle and traveled the world with her. She closed her eyes tighter and focused on the one thing that always kept her together: Arty.

"Charles, Dear. Can you put this on hold? Tina has someone coming over to give her a hand in French." Her mother put her hand upon the shoulder of her father. This movement alone was enough to signal the end.

"French?" Her father questioned. And then he rationalized, "Well, good. I'm glad your doing something productive now. We'll talk after your next test." And went to the fridge, pulled out a beer and went to the living room where he plopped into the man-sized armchair and turned on the television.

"Tina, I suggest you tidy yourself up," said her mother. "And wash your face."

Tina pulled herself up and ran to her bathroom. Arty! She brushed her hair quickly and tied it back. Then patted cool water onto her face to slow down the swelling. She put cover-up onto her left cheek where her father's ring must have scratched her deep. She looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't find any traces of what had happened, and so she felt safe.

She heard the doorbell and in a rush headed to the front door so she could grab it before her father could yell about it. But there was her mother, standing there. Blocking the path of her guest as she looked at him suspiciously and began to ask questions.

"So when did Tina hire you?"

"Only the other day," the voice replied. Tina glowed inside. "Today's our first meeting. I just wanted to call and confirm with her that today was okay for her schedule. I know she's busy with senior stuff."

Tina stepped out of the shadows and nodded towards Arty and smiled. She couldn't help herself when Arty turned to look at her and the creases of her lips went out further. Arty smiled slightly, but his eyes were filled with sadness. Tina became slightly overwhelmed but then realized his intentions.

That.

"If you don't mind Mrs. Cohen-Chang, I was going to tutor Tina someplace else, if you don't mind." And with that he signaled for Tina to follow him as he wheeled his way down the driveway and towards the mailbox. Tina nodded to her mother and followed him. Shutting the door gently so as to not disturb her father and followed Arty sadly.

She wasn't ready to talk about this.

"Let's go for a walk," he said lightly. And he began to wheel on the left side of the sidewalk next to Tina. Tina had no idea what to do so she looked at the ground and fidgeted with her hands, silently praying that maybe Arty would just be oblivious to everything. That he just wouldn't go there.

"Tina, we have to talk about this."

"I'm s-s-sorry, b-b-but I have n-no idea what y-y-you're t-t-talking about."

"Tina, please don't play dumb you know exactly what I'm getting to." Arty stopped and turned his chair around so that he could face Tina. Tina wrapped her arms around herself and turned her body to face Arty. But rather than look up at him, she looked down and saw his eyes. She couldn't bare to see them for more than a second and thus promptly looked at her shoes. Scuffy as all heck.

"This is a serious problem, Tina. You can't do this to yourself." Tina still looked at the ground. This just made Arty even more angry.

"Tina, listen. You could die someday and that can't happen." Tina never lifted her eyes off of the ground. And so with his last use of conviction, Arty said to her gently,

"If you ever need someone, Tina. I'm always here."

Tina looked up from the ground and towards his eyes. She bit her lip.

"Y-y-you mean it?"

"Undoubtedly." He took her left hand gently from her body and held it in his.

She bit her lip once more and then let it go. She opened her mouth slightly to prepare to speak. Her voice would come out shaky, she knew.


	3. Chapter 3

**Let Me Suffer, Please**

So, this is the last chapter. I hope I have inspired at least one of you to write more Arty and Tina fanfics. Or at least to appreciate their connection. Thanks for reading. I truly appreciate it.

I realize that this chapter is kind of short, but I felt the need for closure. Enjoy!

**Chapter Three**

Tina's heart began to grow heavy in her chest. Her throat began to constrict but she knew she had to get the words out.

"For y-y-you."

Though Arty paused for a minute to contemplate the shock that he felt, he couldn't stop his emotion of care and acting on impulse. He pulled at Tina's left arm and gently brought her wrist into his hand. Tina watched as he delicately began to trace her lifeline and the other lines that follows along her palm. His fingers began to softly move up towards her wrist. He paused only for a second, and then decided to divulge deeper. He looked into Tina's eyes. Tina met his eyes with deep sadness, but there was a hint of hope. She watched as Arty pulled up her sleeve. Her sleeve rose an inch above her wrist. At a slow pace it continued to rise up to her elbow. Red slashes intricately danced between numbness and ice.

Tina had to remember to breathe. "S-s-sorry."

Arty looked up at her after tracing the pattern that traveled along her arm.

"Don't be." He pulled down her sleeve gently. He brought the sleeve down to her wrist but wouldn't let go of her hand just yet. He brought her wrist to his lips and gently kissed it. Through Tina couldn't feel his lips against her skin, she could feel the heat and the pressure she felt as he did so.

"Arty…"

"What is it Tina? Did I hurt you?" Arty asked innocently. Tina bit her lip and held back her words. How she wanted to just control her emotions and keep it all in. It wasn't fair to Arty, not fair at all.

"Tina, do you have something to say?" Tina closed her eyes willing it to all go away. How foolish she had been! Succumbing to the touch of someone she loved, who had yet to show love to her. Foolish, weak, ignorant.

"Tina, I'm listening." No, no, no. Pull yourself together, Tina. The only way you can keep this up is if you keep it all to yourself. That was the whole point, that was the whole point, that was the whole point, that was the whole poi-

"Tina, I love you."

Tina opened her eyes and the tension that her teeth had ripping at her mouth ended. Her mouth became parted in shock as she took in the full effect of his words. She looked at his eyes and all she could see was hope. Brown, loving hope.

This couldn't be real. It was a dream. She was stuck in that state again, she was making up lies to calm her aching body against her father's beatings. This was just a fairytale she was concocting in the lair of her mind. She bit her lip. Hard. Blood filled into her mouth and she was awakened again by a searing pain that she knew so well.

"Let me s-s-suffer, please."

She began to cry tears that were un-shed for years. It began slowly with a single tear sliding down her soft, pale cheek. And then came another, following it until it jumped to its doom down onto her shirt. Her right hand feverishly wiped away tears away from her eyes. She couldn't take Arty seeing her like this so she covered her eyes with her hand. Her other arm wrapped around her stomach as she silently willed herself to hold in, hold in.

Father. Razor. Blood. Fall. Red. Blue. Black. Yellow. Arty. Father. Razor. Blood. Fall. Red. Blue. Black. Yellow. Arty. Father. Razor. Blood. Fall. Red. Blue. Black. Yellow. Arty. Father. Razor. Blood. Fall. Red. Blue. Black. Yellow. Arty. Father. Razor. Blood. Fall. Red. Blue. Black. Yellow. Arty. Father. Razor. Blood. Fall. Red. Blue. Black. Yellow. Arty. Father. Razor. Blood. Fall. Red. Blue. Black. Yellow. Arty. Father. Razor. Blood. Fall. Red. Blue. Black. Yellow. Arty. Arty. Arty. Arty. Arty. Arty.

She dropped to the ground and her knees became scraped from the impact. Her face fell into her hands as she violently sobbed, her back arching and falling at a rapid pace. Her hair became wild and covered her face. Blue streaks matching the path of the tears that fell upon her face.

She felt a hand slowly hold her right shoulder delicately while another came up to her face and drew away the curtain of hair. She began slowly, "I f-f-felt that if I did this f-f-for y-you, then m-maybe you wouldn't h-hurt so much. I d-don't want y-you to h-hurt…"

Softly he spoke, "I could never hurt when I'm with you."

"B-b-but y-you've b-been through so much!"

"It doesn't matter at the end of the day Tina. I'm just glad I get to walk home with you. 84th and Broadmore."

Tina softly sighed and wiped away the rest of her tears. She looked up into Arty's eyes and saw that he was silently smiling down at her. She looked around her and saw that she was still sitting on the sidewalk near the grass. Thank God there was no one walking around. She pulled her fingers through her hair and then looked back at Arty.

"W-what now?"

"We talk, Tina. We just talk."

Tina got up and brushed off her legs. She reached for the wheelchair handlebars when Arty stopped her.

"Tina, I got it. I want you to walk with me." She nodded silently and returned to his side. She began to walk slowly not knowing what direction, and Arty rolled along beside her. She felt the warm sun hit her cheeks and she smiled. She licked her lips and lifted the words out of her heart and onto her tongue.

"Arty," she began, "I love you too."

She didn't stutter, nor did she pause to think about what she was doing. She pulled herself down to Arty's height and looked at his eyes. He licked his lips as he closed his eyes waiting for her lips. She moved forward slowly, putting her hand on his cheek as he did the same. And then their lips met in heat and passion. She pressed her lips harder against his, his fingers wrapped themselves into Tina's hair.

Their lips eventually parted, but there hands were always clasped together. Never again did Tina ever suffer alone, nor did she ever suffer pain again. Arty was always at her side. When she cut for the last time. When her father beat her for the last time.

Their love became an eternal flame that went throughout the night. Never gone. Never ending.


End file.
